I am struck by the fact that many on the panel did not want to come right out and say that they believed in demons or that the Devil takes a corporeal from and yet, they simply cannot bring themselves to reject the concept of demonic possession or the existence of Satan outright.
Remember kids this is a conversation taking place in 2014.
By the way I love this show and have watched numerous episodes of it, and posted a few videos as well. It is my belief that if we had more open conversations about religion, God, and the Devil, that it would do much to increase the number of non-believers.
P.S. For those who are interested here is part two.
I don’t think I believe in Satan. But, I’ve personally verified that disembodied spirits exist, and I can imagine nasty ones continuing on that path until they get their act together, if they ever do.
ReplyDeleteGryphen, you’re male and older than Sarah, but I’m still guessing she’ll precede you into the afterlife. She’s going to come after you, you know, and I’m sure you’re shaking in your boots, lol.
Personally, I feel that belief in devils and demons is on a par with believing in a god or gods; Just another reason for allowing a person to claim "I'm not responsible!"
ReplyDeleteSatan is alive and well, living in AZ. Sometimes she visits Wasilla.
ReplyDeleteAs a former indoctrinee of catholic church - i remember how terrified i was of The Exorcist and demon movies. Now they hold no power over me and make me laugh. I think the phenomenon of what happened to some people can be explained by mental illness, physical reactions and even ESP. There are stories of supposedly possessed peoople getting under your skin by verbalizing things about you, secrets. I think they just are in tuned with energy around others. The brain has lots of powers we humans have shut off or not developed. What better way to ostracize people with extra sensory perception but by saying they are possessed by a devil lol????
ReplyDeleteThat conversation didn't allow for a full explanation of what sin, evil and Satan constitute. It's not just some easy 3-minute summary that can be explained in an audience, with a host that interrupts every 10 seconds.
ReplyDeleteSome human beings, as we all know, go a little haywire in their beliefs. They aren't content to find their way, and make it a personal pilgrimage and try to be a good role model, by helping and treating others with kindness. They over-reach and want to get into the 'whys' and 'what's of why some do evil and others don't. They major on the minors.
If they want to look for evil spirits, then they'll probably find them and turn into fanatics and obsess over 'demons' and lose the whole perspective of getting on with doing good.
For a christian, the epistles, which are the manual of instruction for how one must strive for, don't ever instruct or command believers to look for spirits behind every corner. They're in fact instructed not to engage with spirits or talk to them directly. I expect that during the early church times, there may have been a lot of the supernatural or weird going on, or what did happen would be what a psychologist today would describe as mentally il. The accounts though is that when they were prayed for, they were suddenly and completely delivered.
My take on it is that there are humans who either choose to do evil, or choose not to do evil. The origins of sin, which are explained in the bible, for instance, do explain something that may be hard to grasp for some. But either way, there's evil and brutality and hatred and fierce destructive pride, and jealousies, pathological liars, unforgiveness in the world and we all see what that gets people in this life. It could make the difference between a whole nation being in bondage to a human who is under an umbrella of every negative influence in the world, and who's revered as righteous, and if he/she fakes their way through life, and is given the reins, a country could be in a world of hurt. That's scarier than the Hollywood-made movies of demon possession.
I agree with alot of what you say - although i think the bible is a bunch of hokey written by humans alone as a control mechanism. i do not look to the bible for any rules by which to live my life.
DeleteI like the show, but wish it were formatted differently. He takes a topic and tries to cover all bases in fifteen minutes.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh when the lady said "I have a device in my pocket with which I can speak face to face with someone in Australia". She makes it sound so "devilish".
I would highly recommend reading the book The Origins of Satan. It's by Pagels, I think. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteM from MD
The reality of Satan is extremely important to Christianity. Christ is the Savior, they believe: God in person to rescue people from the fires of hell. All you have to do is turn over your entire capacity to think, and you're in.
ReplyDeleteWell, if there's no Satan and no Hell, there's no need for a savior, is there? Nothing to be saved FROM. Satan is ESSENTIAL to the Christian worldview. Nothing makes Christians madder than suggesting there's no Satan. After all, they've turned over their brains and their lives and probably at least part of their income in order to be safe from him- if there's no Satan they've been fools.
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